FC Holdings, Inc., the parent company of First Community Bank, N.A., has come back to its ‘roots’ with its new headquarters facility located at 12941 Gulf Freeway, on the northeast corner of the I-45 and Beltway 8 intersection.

The new bank facility will be a gold LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified green building. "This building represents our commitment to bringing First Community Bank back to Houston and the Bay Area where we originally got our start," said Nigel Harrison, CEO of FC Holdings, Inc. "It also represents our commitment to innovative environmental design and energy efficiency as one of Houston's first gold LEED certified green buildings."

A number of green features include a landscaped roof that will generate enough oxygen for 700 people and filter 19 tons of outside matter and better insulate the building from the heat and cold. A rainwater recycling system with a capacity of 250,000 gallons will be used to water landscaping, roof vegetation and flush toilets. These green innovations are projected to help keep operating costs at 50% less that a non-green building of the same dimensions.

Design and construction of the FCB headquarters, overseen by Jacob White Development, will have the same features as the 251 Medical Center physicians complex that won the 2008 Landmark Award for the best green building, and will be able to provide 20 new full-time jobs to the Southwest Houston area. It will be one of only three gold LEED certified buildings in Texas.

The branch will have a drive-thru that will join Webster and Friendswood as the third full service FCB location opened in the Houston area this year. The facility will be expected to be complete by the spring of 2010.

"We have always been a positive and optimistic organization and have had the good fortune to attract like-minded customers who see the glass as more half full than half empty," Harrison said. "The economy will recover and our bank, as well as our customers, will be well positioned to embrace its return."

Source: Friendswood Journal